Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalised after having his 2020 rape conviction overturned.
Harvey Weinstein has been hospitalised after having his 2020 rape conviction overturned
The fallen Hollywood mogul, 72, was returned to New York City jail Rikers Island on Friday (26.04.24), a day after the New York Court of Appeals ruled he didn’t receive a fair trial when he was convicted four years ago.
His lawyer Arthur Aidala announced on Saturday (27.04.24) Weinstein had been transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday in New York.
He said: “They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically.
“He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise.”
The attorney also insisted all Weinstein’s illnesses are physical not mental – adding his client is “sharp as a tack” with his “feet firmly planted on the ground”.
He also claimed that Weinstein was not being treated well by prison officials during the transition to Rikers Island, saying: “They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break. He’s a 72-year-old sickly man.”
Weinstein has reportedly been battling health issues including cardiac and eye problems, as well as diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Weinstein has been serving 23 years for two sex attacks against aspiring actress Jessica Mann and production assistant Mimi Haleyi – and was handed another 16 years behind bars following his conviction in Los Angeles in 2022.
The ruling overturning his conviction concluded a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced.
It also erased his 23-year prison sentence and ordered a retrial.
Prosecutors said they intend to retry Weinstein on charges he forcibly performed a sex act on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.
Weinstein remained in custody after the appeals ruling as he was convicted in LA in 2022 of another rape and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Discussion about this post